Iceland has always been on my travel bucket list. When I heard there was a Marathon in Reykjavik happening in August, I absolutely had to go for my 12 Marathons in 12 months charity project. And I have to say that Reykjavik Marathon did not disappoint. The people were incredibly friendly, the scenery was fantastic and it was organized perfectly. There is not only the Reykjavik Marathon, but also a Half Marathon, a 10km and several fun runs. So even if you are not into running the full 42.2 km distance, it is a good reason to travel to Iceland. And the best thing: later that day the famous Cultural Night is happening, with concerts and art installations taking place all over town, finishing with giant fireworks.
You might have never heard of the German town Füssen. But you’ve probably heard of Neuschwanstein castle, the famous castle of King Ludwig of Bavaria, which is located nearby. The Königsschlösser Romantik Marathon is a small local race that covers exactly this area and runs past the pretty castles and lakes of the Füssen area. They offer a Half Marathon and 10km race on Saturday, as well as a Marathon on Sunday. I ran it as marathon no. 8 of my 12 Marathons in 12 months project, and really enjoyed the castle view (after Disney castle, Prague castle and Liechtenstein Vaduz castle).
Have you ever heard of Liechtenstein, a tiny European country in the middle of the Alps? It is only 24.8km long and 12.4 kilometers wide. But it turns out you can run a Marathon there. So I ran 42.195kilometers from North to South and 1800m of elevation gain from the bottom to the top at the LGT Alpin Marathon as part of my 12 Marathons in 12 Months project.
Prague Marathon is the biggest and most important marathon of the Czech Republic. It is always held in early May, and features the highlights of the wonderful old town. Prague Marathon offers the classic distance as well as a two Half Marathon relay race.
I ran Prague Marathon as marathon no. 6 of my 12 Marathons in 12 months project and I really loved it, except for the cobblestones and tram tracks. But that is something you probably have to accept when running in an old historic city like that.
Vienna always had a special place in my heart. Not only did I run my second Half Marathon there, but I also studied in this beautiful city for 7 years and would call it my second home. So when I was looking for a Marathon to run in May for my 12 Marathons in 12 months project , the Vienna City Marathon was of course on the top of my list. And I can tell you, it did not disappoint.
The Vienna City Marathon is the biggest marathon in Austria, offering a Marathon, a Half Marathon and a Marathon Relay on Sunday as well as a 10k on Saturday. The best thing about the Marathon is the half way quitting point. Because the Half Marathon route is just the first 21km of the regular Marathon route all the Marathon runners can stop after 21km and will be counted as Half Marathon finishers, medal included. This year a lot of participants took that option, as it was extremely hot and difficult to run.
